Passengers on some Frontier Airlines flights who like a little extra legroom might want to be careful where they sit, as the carrier plans to add seats to planes and squeeze them closer together, particularly in the back.

While Frontier is installing new trimline leather seats in its planes, which will reduce weight and save on fuel costs, it also plans to add four seats to its A318 and A319 airplanes, according to chief financial officer Paul Tate at the company’s analyst and investor summit today.

Denver-based Frontier has touted its extra legroom, but the margin will narrow as the trimline seats reduce seat pitch to 32 inches from 33 inches on the A318 and A319 planes. Seat pitch is the distance between a passenger’s seat and the seat in front. Tate said the seats still feel roomy. But several rows in the back will have seats with a 31 inch pitch.

Frontier’s A319 planes currently have 132 seats, while its A318 planes seat 114. Those aircraft affected make up the bulk of Frontier’s current fleet. Separately, the carrier also is adding larger A320 planes and smaller Q400 planes to its fleet, and offers regional jet flights operated by a partner carrier.

Frontier also said it plans to offer e-mail and text messaging in flight. The airline hopes to offer the capability on passengers’ own devices, such as laptops, by the end of this year, Frontier spokesman Joe Hodas said.

The most likely technology Frontier will use will be through the company’s already installed LiveTV service, Hodas said. LiveTV is a subsidiary of JetBlue Airways Corp.

The service will not offer Web access, he said.

“Our feeling is what people really want is access to productivity, which is e-mail, not sort of Web surfing on the plane,” Hodas said.

Tate also discussed the airline’s consideration of “branded seat inventory,” meaning selling extra options to travelers such as Air Canada does.

At Frontier’s Denver hub, the carrier has come up against heavy competition from United and Southwest airlines.

But after years of strong passenger growth at DIA that made for a very competitive environment and relatively low fares for travelers, the high growth is coming to an end, according to John Happ, Frontier’s senior vice president of marketing and planning.

“We feel like the hub has kind of reached a maturity level, as far as depth and breadth of it,” Happ said.

Separately, he said Frontier plans to take a “year off” from its service to Acapulco, Mexico.

Frontier’s senior vice president of operations, Chris Collins, said Frontier is adding more kiosks at Denver International Airport, including some particularly for passengers who aren’t checking bags. He also said the company is in negotiations with DIA for a five-bay hangar facility for maintenance.

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